A Cozy Place

I'm slowly making progress on the Jenna sweater, thanks to early morning knitting sessions. I've completed two entire pattern repeats for a grand total of 40 rows! My progress is nothing if not snail-like. But it is progress.

I've come to cherish my early morning knitting sessions. The house is quiet and the bustle of the day hasn't begun. I get up between 5:30 and 6:00, feed Emma, then light a fire. I take up position in my favorite chair, pull out my knitting and knit a couple of stitches.



Then:

"Emma, no! Don't scratch the furniture!"

I knit a couple of more stitches.

"Emma, no! Don't eat the Christmas cactus!"

This last admonition is usually accompanied by me getting up and forcibly removing Emma from the radiator (which is where the plant lives). This routine continues for about an hour or so, during which I might be able to complete two rows, four if I'm lucky.

Emma's personality if very different from Jezebel's. Jez was a Buddha-cat, very contemplative and calm. Emma is...well...busy. She's still a kitten and that accounts for part of it. But she's much more mischievous than Jez was and is interested in the house plants, the drapes, the food on your plate... She likes to be held, but needs to be draped over an arm, which impedes knitting. I did manage to get her to sit in my lap for a bit this morning and that was promising. Despite the frustration, she's still a sweet little cat.



Other Knitting News
I've made no progress at all on the Christine sweater. I started to chart the increases, but it was late last night and I realized that it just wasn't going to work. For one, the graph paper squares are too big. For another, I had a headache. I'm hoping that I'll find some time to work out the increases this weekend.

And that sexy little lace number? I haven't started it. I did order Victorian Lace Today. I've heard nothing but good things about this book and can't wait for it to arrive. And then maybe I'll start that sexy little lace number.

The extra yarn for Tom's scarf arrived. I worked out the modifications and cast on during lunch yesterday. The seed stitch border was looking good, so I moved on to the pattern rows. Row 1: Perfect! Row 2: Excellent! Row 3: Looking good! Oops...In my rush to get started, I neglected to calculate how many stitches I needed and didn't cast on enough. So it's back to Frog Pond.

There's one more bit of news on the knitting front. Springwater Fiber Workshop, located in Alexandria, regularly holds classes for all types of fiber arts. They also have a visiting artist program and I was very excited to see that Beth Brown Reinsel is teaching this month. I promptly registered for her Swedish twined knitting (tvåändsstickning) class. We'll be making a sock. It should be a very interesting and challenging class.

Weekend Activities
The original plan for today was to go for an early morning run. But low temperatures combined with a fierce wind (and the persistence of yesterday's headache) put an end to that idea. I'll be focused on the domestic arts today, cooking some individual pot pies and biscotti for my mother-in-law, and cleaning house. Tomorrow we'll deliver the food to my mother-in-law. Every year for Christmas we make her a variety of soups, stews, and pot pies so she gets some home-cooked meals. She hates to cook and lives off of frozen dinners.

And of course, there will be some knitting. And if the stars align properly, there might be some spinning as well.